Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city of 23,948 people in Brookings County, South Dakota, founded in 1857.
Why visit Brookings
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 36 parks and trails, 81 places to eat, 11 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cinema 5, South Dakota State University, Brookings University Residential Historic District and Nick's Hamburger Shop.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 81°F; January lows average 4°F, and about 36 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Brookings
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Brookings
Brookings is a city in and the county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. It is located 60 miles (97 km) north of the state’s largest city, Sioux Falls. The population was 23,377 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth most populous city in South Dakota, and was estimated to be 24,312 in 2023. It is home to South Dakota State University, the state's largest institution of higher education.
From the Wikipedia article Brookings, South Dakota (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
South Dakota State University
School · 1.0 mi
Public university in Brookings, South Dakota, US
Museums and landmarks13
Brookings University Residential Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Historic district in Brookings, South Dakota
Nick's Hamburger Shop
Monument and historic site · Burger, Ice Cream · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Commercial building in Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic district in Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
County courthouse in Brookings, United States of America
Brookings station
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Historic railway station in Brookings, South Dakota, United States
E. E. Haugen House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Historic house in South Dakota, United States
Coughlin Campanile
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
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Wenona Hall and Wecota Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds36
Medal of Honor Park
Park · 1.1 mi
This Park and memorial is dedicated to all those who have fought in wars for the United States.
24 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes81
Chix Chicken & Waffles
Restaurant · 0.8 mi
2035 Orchard Drive, Brookings
Tu-Th 11:00-20:00; Fr-Su 11:00-22:00
Backyard BBQ
Restaurant · Barbecue, American · 0.9 mi
8th Street, Brookings
Mo-Su 10:00-22:00
Buffalo Wild Wings
Restaurant · Wings · 0.9 mi
8th Street, Brookings
Su-Th 11:00-23:00, Fr,Sa 11:00-24:00
69 more on the map.
Where to stay11
Churches and places of worship19
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church · Mormon · 0.9 mi
200 22nd Avenue South, Brookings
Islamic Society of Brookings
Place of worship · 0.8 mi
724 11th Avenue, Brookings
Pope Pius XII Newman Center
Church · Catholic · 0.8 mi
1321 8th Street, Brookings
Shopping18
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries19
Bobcat Plains Academy Elementary School - 94
School · 1.0 mi
1910 12Th St S, Brookings
Bobcat Plains Academy Middle School - 93
School · 1.0 mi
1910 12Th St S, Brookings
Healthcare6
Map of Brookings
215 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22°F | 4°F | 0.4 in | 5.5 in |
| Feb | 27°F | 7°F | 0.5 in | 7.1 in |
| Mar | 39°F | 20°F | 1.1 in | 6.4 in |
| Apr | 54°F | 32°F | 2.2 in | 4.1 in |
| May | 67°F | 45°F | 3.5 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 77°F | 56°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 81°F | 60°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 79°F | 57°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 72°F | 48°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 58°F | 34°F | 2.0 in | 1.1 in |
| Nov | 41°F | 22°F | 0.8 in | 4.7 in |
| Dec | 28°F | 10°F | 0.6 in | 6.8 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Brookings 2 Ne (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Brookings County has had 11 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2023-02-27: Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm (Winter Storm)
- 2022-06-29: Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-05: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-11-18: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2019-06-07: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Brookings Regional Airport (BKX) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Aurora 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
- Volga 7 mi west, about 11 min by car
- White 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Elkton 16 mi east, about 25 min by car
- Arlington 18 mi west, about 29 min by car
- Flandreau 20 mi southeast, about 32 min by car
- Estelline 20 mi north, about 32 min by car
- Colman 22 mi south, about 36 min by car
- Marshall 50 mi east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Sioux Falls 53 mi south, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Brookings SD 3, Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Soil Health Clinic, Brookings, SD on February 14, 2013 (8360980889), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Sexauer Seeds - Brookings - South Dakota (52501930121), Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
- Swiftel - Fast and Reliable Internet - Brookings - South Dakota (52202511597), Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
- Main Avenue - City of Brookings - South Dakota, Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
- Brookings City Police Department - South Dakota (52475125063), Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
- Ameriprise Financial - Brookings - South Dakota, Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0
- South Dakota State University - SDSU - Brookings (52211948636), Tony Webster from United States, CC BY 2.0
- Soil Point of June 13-14 Meeting in Brookings (8736532252), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Nick's Hamburger Shop 1, AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
- BrookingsDepot, Jatakuck, CC BY-SA 3.0
- EEHauganHouse, Jatakuck, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SDSU Wenona Hall, Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Coughlin Campanile 1, Andrew Boerema - 2005, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SDSUAgHeritageMuseum, Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ISS051-E-24767 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS051-E-24768 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- South Dakota State University, Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0
- South Dakota State University February 2015 1 (Lincoln Music Hall), Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
- RainfallSimTrlr BFSO (7687040162), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Presentation (7687104924), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Rain being applied (7687107584), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- RainfallSimTrlr BFSO (1) (7687038398), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- What does it look like a few inches down? (7687106062), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Rainfall Simulator (7687077744), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- RainfallSimTrlr at the BFSO (7687041720), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Aggregate Stability Experiment (7687101212), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Aggregate stability experiment (7687099280), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Rainfall Simulator (7687079306), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Trays (7687102420), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- Rain on conventional tilled sample (7687103564), USDA NRCS South Dakota, Public domain
- South Dakota State University February 2015 2 (Coughlin Campanile), Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
- South Dakota State University, Harding Hall 2005 (6583526047), Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0
- South Dakota State University, Sylvan Theater 2005 (6583525479), Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0
- South Dakota State University, Catholic Chapel 2005 (6583524047), Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0
- SDSUSylvanTheater, Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0
- South Dakota State University, The Green 2005 (6583529523), Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0
- SDSU Coughlin Campanile2, Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0
- McCrory Gardens Entrance, Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0
- South Dakota State University February 2015 3 (South Dakota Art Museum), Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
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